Star Trek: Odyssey
by focus117
Summary: The USS Odyssey NCC-71832-C is commissioned under the command of Captain Andrew Ringer.
1. Prologue

Star Trek  
Odyssey  
  
Prologue "Captain's Log, stardate 101072.4. I, Captain Andrew Ringer, have assumed command of the Federation starship Odyssey, registration NCC-71832-C, the fourth to bear the name. This ship is a refitted Galaxy-class starship with three warp nacelles, one gigantic phaser cannon, and other powerful propulsion systems and weaponries. My first officer is Commander Alicia Truman. She worked on another vessel called the USS Crazy Horse D, and was transferred here just two days ago. My science officer, Lt. Commander Ronald Jefferson, has been my trusted men ever since my last command. Lieutenant Anna Dobson is my security officer. I have not seen her in action yet, but I hope that she is suitable for the job. Lt. Commander Bill Nelson is going to be the ship's main engineer. He used to be a helmsman under my command. The ship's chief medical officer will be Lt. Commander Kevin Jones. He used to be the assistant medical on another vessel, and was transferred a week ago. "The Odyssey is going on her maiden voyage today, and all of the crew is excited. I am also excited, not only because this ship is new, because a legendary captain is going to watch us depart. "I am also expecting a class of students from one of the schools. At first, I was surprised, but then I realized that it was an honor to have guests aboard my own starship." Captain Andrew Ringer pressed a button, ending the recording. He sat comfortably in his chair. His first officer sat beside him, while the others were busy making final adjustments for departure. At that moment, the turbolift doors opened, revealing an old but proud- looking man. This man was Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who had commanded the USS Enterprise D and E in the past. To have him onboard was one of the greatest honor a captain could achieve, or so Captain Ringer thought. "It is a pleasure to have you onboard, Captain," said Captain Ringer politely. "The pleasure is mine," answered the elderly captain. "This bridge...it always reminds me of the Enterprise D." "This is a refitted Galaxy-class starship, sir," Captain Ringer explained. "The bridge should be a little different from the original one." "But it has about the same features," said Captain Picard. "Sir, would you like to chat in my ready room? I could serve you some Earl Grey Tea if you would wish." "Of course, thank you." After sitting down and relaxing, Captain Picard asked the younger captain what he wanted to do with this ship. "I would love to boldly go, captain," Ringer replied. "It has been my greatest ambition. My last command lasted long, but I didn't explore." "Boldly go doesn't always mean exploration, Andrew," the old captain replied. "It sometimes means having to make hard choices. Going against direct orders to do what is right is one of them. That is "to boldly go"." Captain Ringer thought about his words. He had never heard of these kinds of things before. He had thought that exploration was the only form of "boldly going". "Wouldn't I be facing court martial for disobeying orders, captain?" said Ringer. "Maybe so, but when the order is apparently wrong, we have to rely on our own instincts and our decision. We could face opposition," said Picard, "but I will face it if it will correct the wrong."  
"I see, sir," said Andrew, nodding.  
"You're still young, Andrew," said Picard, smiling, "You still have much to learn. The Academy can teach you basics, but it's life that teaches you the real meaning."  
Andrew smiled and nodded. At that moment, his communicator rang.  
"Ringer here," said the young captain. "This is Richard Wayne. Starfleet Headquarters have sent a signal, Captain. We will be expecting the class anytime soon, sir," said the transporter chief.  
"Thank you, chief, I'm on my way," said Ringer, then said to Picard, "I'm sorry, but you will have to excuse me, sir. If there is anything, please ask my first officer." "Of course. Thank you, and good luck," said the elderly captain.  
  
Captain Ringer arrived at Transporter Room 1, where one security officer and Lt. Dobson were waiting for the arrival of the class. Chief Wayne busily worked on the consoles and the target scanners.  
"We're receiving a transmission from the Spacedock Control, sir," Wayne reported.  
"Send it through, chief," said Ringer.  
"This is Control, the passengers are ready to be transported," a female voice came from the communicator.  
"This is the Odyssey. We are ready to receive on your signal," Ringer replied.  
There was a shimmer on the transporter pad, and shapes began to form. The light grew stronger, then suddenly disappeared, revealing a class of two dozen small children, and two teachers.  
"My name is Alexander Fox. On behalf of my school, I would like to thank you for allowing this tour of your ship, Captain," said one of the teachers. "This is my assistant, George Jackson."  
"I am Captain Andrew Ringer, of the USS Odyssey C. On behalf of my crew and Starfleet, I would like to welcome you aboard this ship," Ringer greeted them politely, then turned to his security chief, "This is Lieutenant Dobson, who is chief of security. She will be accompanying us through the entire tour."  
"Welcome aboard the Odyssey," said Dobson.  
"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Mr. Fox. "Well, shall we start our tour? Or would you like to rest before starting?" Andrew asked. "We would like to begin right away, if you would not mind, Captain," Mr. Jackson replied. "Of course not. Please follow me." The group headed out and walked toward the turbolift. At that moment, Andrew's combadge rang. "Truman to Captain Ringer," a female voice said. "Go ahead, Alice," said Andrew, tapping his badge. "Captain, an alien subspace message has just been monitored. It seems that it's for you," said his first officer. "I'll be there, Alice. Keep track of the transmission. Ringer out," said Andrew, and tapped his badge again. Then turning to the class, he said, "I'm sorry, but you will have to excuse me. Lieutenant!" "Sir?" "You know the schedule of the tour, so act as the guide." "Aye, sir. Please follow me," said Lt. Dobson, and led the group into the turbolift, while the captain headed up to the bridge in another. 


	2. Unknown Friend

When Andrew arrived at the bridge, his first officer, Alicia Truman was working busily at a console. She seemed to be obsessed with something.  
"What is it, Commander?" asked Andrew.  
"Sir, this is strange...it's not meant for the Federation. It's...for you," said she.  
"What?" said Andrew in surprise. "It is alien, right?"  
"It seems so, sir. It's obvious that we have never encountered these people, because I can't find any record of this particular language. The aliens are trying to communicate in English, but the message is in gibberish. We will have to rendezvous with the vessel that is hailing you," said Alicia.  
"Agreed. By the way, has Captain Picard been safely beamed to the Spacedock?"  
"Done, sir. He left about half an hour ago."  
"Hmm...more time has past than I thought," said Andrew, then added, "Commander, hail the Spacedock."  
"Hailing frequencies open," she reported.  
"Spacedock, this is Captain Andrew Ringer of the USS Odyssey. Am requesting permission to undock," said Andrew.  
"This is Spacedock, permission granted," a voice said through the speakers. "We read you, Spacedock," said Andrew in response, then tapped his communicator to call his security chief. "Lt. Dobson, we are about to depart from Spacedock. If the guests would like to stay, they're welcome...but they're going to have to stand on the bridge. There's no chair, as you know."  
There was a murmur behind, and Andrew could tell that the children were arguing with the teachers. He could also hear Lt. Dobson chuckling.  
"Lieutenant?" Andrew asked impatiently.  
"They said that they would like to stay, captain. The children...seemed to have wanted to go to the bridge."  
"I want to go to the main engineering," a high voice said from behind.  
"Be quiet, Harold!" a teacher scolded.  
Andrew couldn't help, but laugh at this remark.  
"Alright. Please escort the group to the bridge. We're moving out now. Andrew, out," said Andrew, and turned his combadge off.  
"Helm," he said, turning to the helms officer. "Undock."  
"Aye, sir, undocking," said the ensign at helm.  
The huge Galaxy-class starship slowly began to move across the wide Federation dock. It passed another Galaxy-class, and a Sovereign-class on its way to the space door.  
"Opening space doors," a voice boomed inside the dock.  
The massive doors opened, revealing the stars and the beautiful, endless space ahead. The stars shined brighter than ever, and they looked like little diamonds engraved on a huge black stone.  
The tour group arrived just in time to see the splendor of the space. The teachers were taken by awe at the sight of its beauty. The children, on the other hand, seemed more interested in seeing all the strange computer consoles, and one of them even tried to sit in the second officer's chair, and would have, had it not been for the teacher.  
"Full impulse, Ensign," ordered Andrew, once they were clear of the Spacedock.  
"Aye, sir," the officer obeyed his captain, and increased the speed.  
  
The Odyssey increased speed to one fourth light speed. The powerful vessel continued on its course, passing Mars first. They could clearly see the Utopia Planitia Shipyard over Mars, where the Odyssey had been built in. They passed the asteroid belts, the gas giants of Jupiter and Saturn, and finally left the solar system.  
"Maintain course and engage at Warp 6," said Andrew.  
"Yes, sir," the ensign at helm replied.  
From the view screen, the stars seemed the stretch as the ship went into warp speed. Andrew sat in his chair, watching the stars pass by the screen. He couldn't understand how the aliens who were sending these messages knew him. He didn't remember any encounter with unknown aliens.  
  
"We have arrived at the designated coordinates, captain," said the helms officer.  
"Full stop. Science station, run full scans in all directions. The message did come from somewhere around here," ordered Andrew.  
"Aye, sir," said Cmdr. Jefferson. "Commencing scan, now."  
Andrew sighed, and started to think again. It was bothering him so much, and he wanted to find an answer.  
"Is something wrong, Andrew?" his first officer asked. He didn't mind her calling him by his first name, since she was much older than he was. Alicia was a Trill, and Trills always acted as a host for his or her symbiont. Alicia's was over 500 years old. Also, he knew one of the previous hosts before the symbiont came to her.  
"I just don't understand how those aliens could know me by name," Andrew answered.  
"Well, either they know you, or they know you," said Alicia.  
"What does that mean?"  
"I mean, that they could just know you in knowledge. You are, after all, quite famous in this quadrant. The other is that they could know you personally. They could have met you," she explained.  
"How could that be? I mean, I never encountered aliens in my last command, or anywhere of my past," said Andrew decidedly. To his surprise, Alicia was chuckling.  
"What's so funny?" he asked.  
"You humans," she said, smiling. "You're always so stubborn about what you believe. You have to think about the impossible to get to the possible, sometimes. Or can only women do that?"  
"No, men can do just the same. But, I guess you learned that from experience," said Andrew.  
"Of course. How much do you think you can experience in 500 years?"  
Andrew looked away, nodding. He looked at the view screen displaying the vast space with glittering stars, as he thought of the possibilities of meeting the aliens. That was until his science officer interrupted his thoughts.  
"Captain! There's a ship coming in, heading 730, mark 093!" Jefferson reported.  
"On screen, please," said Andrew. The screen blinked for an instant, and then showed a ship, about half the size of the Odyssey approaching. It was smooth on the surface, but it was obvious it had multiple weapons hidden underneath that armor.  
"They have five torpedo tubes, and twenty phaser banks," said Jefferson. "They're armor is...so strong, I don't think our phasers will be able to blast through it in one shot. It's like the armor technology that Admiral Janeway brought back from the Delta Quadrant."  
Andrew looked at the officer in disbelief, but he seemed be serious about what he was saying. Andrew continued to look at the sleek, yet powerful vessel approaching his own.  
"They're hailing us, sir," said Lt. Dobson.  
"Put it on screen," ordered Andrew. The entire picture on the view screen changed, and now showed an alien face. It had a really pointed nose, and very little ears. Its eyes were red, and they looked scarier than anything they could possibly imagine. Its skin color was of a rough brown, and it had no hair.  
Even Commander Truman seemed shocked to see this image; but, before they could say or do anything, the alien spoke to them.  
"Andrew!" it said. "I knew I would find you here! Now you can help us!" 


	3. To Boldly Go

This took Andrew by surprise. He had already been surprised by the fact that these aliens had called him by his name, but he was even more surprised because that alien was talking to him casually! It was as if that alien and he had been friends for a long time. He got out of his chair, and walked toward the screen.  
"Andrew? Are you alright?" the alien asked.  
"Forgive me, but I'm afraid I don't know you," Andrew replied honestly.  
"What do you mean, you don't know me? Don't you remember me, William?" said the alien calling himself William.  
"I'm sorry, no," said Andrew.  
"How come! I finally remembered the day you told me the Odyssey was going to be commissioned, and I came...then you don't remember me!!" William shouted.  
"Please calm down. You may have met someone else of that name," said Andrew.  
"Was the last commander of the Odyssey Andrew Ringer?" inquired the alien.  
"No, this is the first time I ever commanded the Odyssey."  
"Then I can't be mistaken. You did tell me that you were the present commander of the Odyssey, and that you commanded USS Lombard NCC-98479 in the past."  
"How do you know the Lombard?" asked Andrew.  
"You told me," the alien William replied.  
Andrew thought hard. How could this William know who he was, and what he commanded so well? He didn't remember saying all these.  
"Oh...I guess I know now," said William suddenly.  
"What do you know?" asked Andrew.  
"You don't know me now, but...you will know me later."  
"How do you know that?"  
"I can't say that. Doesn't Starfleet forbid the foretelling of the future in the Temporal Prime Directive?"  
This was true. Starfleet did not allow any Federation officer to tell about the future in the past. This, however, only applied to the Federation and Starfleet.  
"Alright, I understand you were looking for me, but you did come at the wrong time. I have guests aboard. May I take them back? If you would stay here, we'll come back in no time," said Andrew.  
"If you have guests, go ahead," said William.  
"Thank you. I'll be back in about fifteen hours. You have my word for it," said Andrew.  
The Alien nodded, and turned his communication off. The screen once again showed the smooth, powerful alien ship. Andrew stared at it for some time, recalling all that had happened here. He finally returned to his chair.  
"Ensign, lay in a course for Sector 001," ordered Andrew. "Maximum Impulse."  
"Yes, captain," said the ensign.  
The Odyssey turned around, and headed straight for earth. The alien ship stayed where it was, watching the Federation starship leave.  
  
"So he is telling the truth?" said Andrew. He had gathered the senior crewmembers for a discussion in the observation lounge.  
"Definitely," said Alicia. "I don't know about you, but I know when people, aliens or humans, lie. He was saying the truth."  
"Even if he is saying the truth, the problem is how," said Doctor Jones.  
"I've been on the Lombard," said Lt. Commander Nelson. "I don't recall any first contacts during my duty there."  
"Neither do I, Commander," said Andrew. "However, the fact is that he did meet me somehow, somewhere."  
"Captain, he said that you were going to help him," said Dobson. "If that is true, then you do have the responsibility to help him."  
"I'm aware of that, Lieutenant," said Andrew. "If he really does need help from me or the Federation, I will comply. But, that won't affect my decision yet. The main thing we have to do now is get the guests back...and talk to that alien again. Dismissed."  
The crew stood up and left the observation lounge. Only Alicia stayed behind. She knew that the captain was really troubled by this latest encounter.  
"Andrew," said she. "Don't get depressed. This could be a start."  
"I can't understand. If I told him that I will help, then I have the responsibility to carry it out. How can I do it? Starfleet won't accept until I have enough information and reason," said Andrew.  
"Well, Andrew, this is one of those times when you have to make hard decisions. Just one thing: don't listen to me, or the opinions of the other crewmembers or Starfleet officers. This is not what they think, it's what you think."  
Andrew thought about this, then said, "I guess it's about time I 'boldly go'."  
Alicia smiled, and walked out of the lounge, leaving Andrew behind. He was now determined to negotiate with the aliens.  
  
After transporting the class off the Odyssey, Andrew ordered the ship to go back to the outside of the solar system. The alien ship was still there, when they arrived.  
"Hail them," said Andrew to Dobson.  
The screen showed the alien again. He looked pleased to see Andrew's face again.  
"I'm ready to negotiate about helping you," said Andrew.  
"Great! My ship is always open, go ahead and come aboard. I also have...one or two things to show you," said William.  
"Would you mind if my security officer comes along? Starfleet regulation requires this when the captain goes on an away mission."  
"Of course not. They're welcome. I'll be expecting you in two hours," said William, and turned the communications off.  
"Andrew, are you sure...," Alicia began, but was stopped by Andrew.  
"I'm sure about this. You have the bridge, Alice," said Andrew, and said to Dobson, "Lieutenant, take two of your best men and meet me at Transporter room two."  
"Aye, sir," said Dobson, and headed for the turbolift.  
"To boldly go where no man has gone before...now you have the chance," whispered Alicia.  
"I sure do. Take good care of my ship while I'm away," said Andrew, then left for another turbolift. 


End file.
